Suicide eight tried to blast jets from sky

Plot: the accused men targeted transatlantic flights from Heathrow operated by airlines including Air Canada, the court heard

A British terror gang plotted to use liquid explosives to blow up transatlantic passenger jets in mid-flight, a court heard today.

Eight men planned to smuggle bombs disguised as soft drinks onto flights from Heathrow to the United States and Canada and detonate them on board, Woolwich crown court was told.

It would have caused a civilian death toll on an 'almost unprecedented scale' and a 'global impact'.

The gang allegedly targeted seven flights operated by Air Canada, United Airlines and American Airlines. They were arrested in August 2006 after a surveillance operation — as they were 'almost ready' to strike.

Peter Wright QC, prosecuting, said they had planned, "all in the name of Islam", to carry out a "series of co-ordinated and deadly explosions" and were "indifferent to the carnage" that would have been caused.

The eight — seven from London — were flanked by security guards at the start of what has been described as the world's biggest terror trial. All deny conspiracy to murder and conspiring to commit an act of violence likely to endanger the safety of an aircraft.

They are: Abdulla Ahmed Ali, Assad Sarwar, Tanvir Hussain, and Ibrahim Savant — all aged 27; Mohammed Gulzar and Arafat Waheed Khan, 26; Waheed Zaman, 23, and Umar Islam, also known as Brian Young, 29. Mr Wright named the ringleaders as Ali, Sarwar and Gulzar and said Ali was one of those prepared to blow themselves up on a jet.

However, during conversations monitored by police the conspirators talked about as many as 18 suicide bombers at different airport terminals.

"At the very least" seven planes would have been targeted, Mr Wright said.

The jury heard that the gang planned to smuggle components of the home-made bombs onto the flights as "innocuous hand luggage".

They intended to use hydrogen peroxide and mix it with a product used in soft drinks to create an explosive, it was claimed. The detonator would have been disguised as batteries and a disposable camera would have provided a power source.

"These items would have the capability of being detonated with devastating consequences," said Mr Wright.

An address book found in Ali's pocket had a "to-do list with items such as drink bottles including Lucozade and Oasis; an entry saying check time to fill each bottle'".

The jury was shown pages from Ali's diary in which was written: "Decide on which battery to use for D, small is best". Elsewhere he had written: "Select date, five days before jet. All link up.

"Dirty mag to distract, condom ... One drink use, other keep in pocket, maybe will not get through ... Plus keys and chewing gum on the D in the electronic device."

All the seven flights allegedly targeted could carry between 241 and 285passengers.

A USB memory stick found in the pocket of one defendant included details of flights from Heathrow to the US, Mr Wright said. But he said the gang only examined details of outward-bound flights — they were not interested in return trips.

The flights would all have been in the air at the same time, he added: "The flights were particularly vulnerable to a co-ordinated attack.

"If each was blown up the potential for loss of life was considerable and there was little or no chance of saving any of them from their impending disaster."

At the time of their arrests they were almost ready to put their plan into action and some were prepared to lose their lives with "the cold-eyed certainty of a fanatic", said Mr Wright.

The arrests in the summer of 2006 led to a huge security crackdown at British airports, with bans on passengers taking liquids on planes.

The seven flights departed daily from Terminal 3. They were: 1415 United Airlines Flight 931 to San Francisco; 1500 Air Canada Flight 849 to Toronto; 1515 Air Canada Flight 865 to Montreal; 1540 United Airlines Flight 959 to Chicago; 1620 United Airlines Flight 925 to Washington; 1635 American Airlines Flight 139 to New York; and 1650 American Airlines Flight 91 to Chicago.

Ahmed Ali, Waheed Khan, and Zaman are from Walthamstow; Sarwar is from High Wycombe; Hussain is from Leyton, Gulzar from Barking; Savant from Stoke Newington and Islam from Plaistow.